CALGARY – The heavily hyped UFC debut of former Bellator middleweight champ Hector Lombard (31-3-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) was an utter failure, and UFC president Dana White thinks it may be time for the former Olympic judoka to consider a new weightclass.

After Lombard turned in a lackluster effort against Tim Boetsch (16-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) at Saturday night’s UFC 149 event in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, the UFC boss said the stocky middleweight should at least consider dropping to 170 pounds.

“Lombard maybe should fight at 170,” White said. “He made 185 easily. He’s short and wide, but I think he could make 170.”

Lombard’s trademark aggression was nowhere to be found on Saturday night, and opponent Boetsch kept himself at a safe distance throughout the contest while peppering the Cuban judoka with leg kicks and avoiding heavy counters. The fight turned out to be a disappointment in terms of entertainment value, and despite suffering a broken foot in the second round, Boetsch walked away with a split-decision win.

“It wasn’t the fight I was expecting,” White admitted. “It just wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. Whether it was Boetsch or Lombard winning, I was expecting a real war. I thought this thing was going to be a war.”

White said he believes the “octagon jitters” that oftentimes affect fighters making their first appearance in the UFC could certainly have played a role in Lombard’s odd performance. And while the UFC boss made it clear he was upset with the way the bout played out, he didn’t seem to hold anything personal against Lombard.

“I don’t know,” White said. “We’ll see what happens. You can’t be angry with a guy. But it’s just another way, and it shows you guys too, ranking guys who don’t fight in the UFC, it’s two different worlds.”

Lombard wouldn’t necessarily have an easier run at 170 pounds, but with a division full of fighters who tower over the 5-foot-9 American Top Teamer, White thinks “Lightning” should at least consider the move down from 185 pounds.

And most importantly, the UFC boss believes Lombard’s UFC 149 loss proves once again how difficult it is to succeed in the octagon.

“It’s the unfortunate thing about hype: When there’s a lot of hype behind you and you don’t live up to the hype, it goes away real quick,” White said. “This is one of those things – the guy was on a 25-fight win streak, a lot of people were high on him, people have been talking about him forever. Guys that fight in other organizations end up in top-10 rankings, and it’s a whole other world over here.”

As the UFC 189 tour made its last stop in Dublin, featherweight champ Jose Aldo was met with a torrent of abuse from the Irish fans. It might have been unpleasant, but it might also have been just what he needed.